Looking for a kind book to put under the tree? Here are my three picture books and who each one fits best.
- The Grumble-Gator’s Greatest Raft: for any child ages 3 to 8, and the one to start with.
- The Grumble-Gator’s Bravest Choice: for a child who already loves Barnaby and Toby.
- Under the Same Sky: for grandparents and the whole family.
Every child loves tearing the paper off a present. A book is one of the few gifts that keeps going after that, because somebody has to sit down and read it with them.
I write picture books, so I’m a little biased. But read the same story to a child twenty times and you’ll see why. They start finishing the sentences, and the lesson in the story sinks in without a lecture.
Here is who I’d give each of my books to, plus a few free things you can tuck inside the cover.
For any child ages 3 to 8
The Grumble-Gator’s Greatest Raft is the first Sunny-Stream Pond story. Toby the turtle is picked on by a grumpy alligator named Barnaby. His friends tell him to hit back, and Toby chooses a kind word instead. By the end, the two of them are building a raft together.
It’s a good fit for a child who is starting school, a child dealing with a bully, or a child who sometimes is the grumpy one. It comes in paperback, hardcover and eBook.
For the child who already loves Barnaby and Toby
The Grumble-Gator’s Bravest Choice is Book 2. One evening on the raft, Barnaby tells Toby that he was picked on too when he was little. It’s a gentle story about where hurt comes from and the kind choice that can stop it.
If the child on your list already has the first book, this is the one to wrap. The two also make a nice pair for a new reader. It comes in paperback and eBook.
For grandparents and the whole family
Under the Same Sky is the true love story of my grandparents, Roy and Mary Rucker. They met as neighbors, fell in love at twelve, married in a backyard garden, and built a family that reaches down to their great-great-grandchildren. I wrote it in their voices so the little ones who never met them could know them.
It’s a hardcover, and it’s the one I’d give a grandma or grandpa to read with the grandkids on Christmas afternoon. It also comes with a free Interview Your Grandparents page, so the kids can ask their own questions.
For a teacher or a classroom
Teachers buy a lot of their own classroom books. Either Grumble-Gator story works for a read-aloud shelf, and you can print the free Classroom Kindness Kit from my For Educators page to go with it.
Free things to tuck inside the cover
A printed page or two makes a book feel like a bigger gift, and every one of these is free on my printables page.
- Christmas Kindness Coupons, cut-out cards a child can give, like “Good for one big hug.”
- The Christmas Kindness Advent Calendar, with 24 small kind acts for December.
- Sunny-Stream bookmarks to cut out and slip between the pages.
- The Sunny-Stream Pond coloring book, for after the story.
When to order
Amazon has the fastest shipping. If you buy direct from me, each copy is printed to order, so please allow 2 to 3 weeks. For a Christmas gift, that means ordering direct in the first few days of December at the latest.
Book 1
The Grumble-Gator’s Greatest Raft
A gentle turtle, a grumpy gator, and the kind word that turns a bully into a friend. Ages 3–8.
Amazon: fastest shipping. Or buy direct from the author (ships in 2–3 weeks).
New · Book 2
The Grumble-Gator’s Bravest Choice
Barnaby was picked on too, once. The brave choice that stops the hurt from being passed on. Ages 3–8.
Amazon: fastest shipping. Or buy direct from the author (ships in 2–3 weeks).
Family keepsake
Under the Same Sky
The true love story of my grandparents, Roy and Mary Rucker, told in their own voices. Hardcover.
Amazon: fastest shipping. Or buy direct from the author (ships in 2–3 weeks).
Book gift questions people ask
What is a good Christmas book for a 4-year-old?
Pick a picture book with a gentle story that is made for reading out loud, since a 4-year-old will want to hear it many times. The Grumble-Gator’s Greatest Raft is written for ages 3 to 8 and is a good first one.
What book makes a good gift for grandparents?
A family story they can read to the grandkids. Under the Same Sky is the true love story of my grandparents, Roy and Mary Rucker, told in their own voices. It comes in hardcover.
Do the books come in hardcover?
The Grumble-Gator’s Greatest Raft comes in paperback, hardcover and eBook. The Grumble-Gator’s Bravest Choice comes in paperback and eBook. Under the Same Sky is a hardcover.
How long does shipping take?
Amazon has the fastest shipping. Copies bought direct from me are printed to order, so please allow 2 to 3 weeks.
One last thought
The best part of giving a book is the reading. Pick one, wrap it, and plan on a quiet half hour with that child sometime on Christmas Day.
Cory